Treasure

I suppose one of the reasons that I like The Bible so much is that it deals directly with the important issues of life. It’s not the same as checking out the Yahoo news feed and reading about whether or not Britney Spears wore her underwear to the grocery store, fashion tips or who scored the game winner in last night’s game. Am I the only one who finds life in this world to be so superficial?
These are the words of a mother to her son...
“Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?
She is more precious than rubies.
Her husband can trust her,
And she will greatly enrich his life.” Proverbs 31:10-11

I’m quite certain that the same things could be said for a virtuous and capable husband. These past few days, I have been thinking of some of you, especially for those of you who are living the single life. There is a friend of mine who told me the other day that he’s hoping to find someone, and he wants that someone to be good looking.
If you’re “In the market”, you can likely really relate to the words of Proverbs. Who can find a virtuous and capable spouse? It’s tough. In case you haven’t noticed, the world isn’t filled with a whole lot of people who are crazy about living for God. Sometimes I think that the odds are better of winning the lottery than finding someone like that.
If finding a virtuous and capable spouse is difficult, how much more difficult does it become to find one who you’re attracted to? It can be a tough go. Can’t it? Not only that, but throw this into the mix – they also have to be into you.
What if you couldn’t find all of that in one person? Which standards should we drop first? As I think on my marriage and what makes Barb to be such a wonderful wife, as pretty as she is and as pleasing to the eyes, the things that enrich my life the most are the things spoken of in Proverbs. She is both virtuous and capable.
Virtue has to do with the moral standards that one lives by. Being capable has to do with how they handle the day to day dealings of life. Having a partner who drags you into financial ruin is NOT a fun thing. And I have yet to hear of anyone who is thankful that their spouse found a better lover.
How does that sit with you? Can you imagine telling your friends, “Gee guys. I know she isn’t much to look at, but at least she knows how to balance our checking account. She makes really yummy brownies too.” Or how about one for the females, “Well girls, I know he’s got a face that would make a freight train take a dirt road, but he has a good job.”
For those who have been with me from the beginning, I know I’ll sound like a broken record. The most important relationship in your life is your relationship with your heavenly Father, which is found only through Jesus Christ. I’m told that the Kingdom of God is like a treasure that a man found in a field. When he discovered it, he hid it, went home and sold everything that he owned so that he could buy the field with the treasure in it.
Do you believe that? Is it true? Is God nothing more than a fairy tale that your youth leader told you about? Or Is He an ever present companion; the true lover of our souls?
This likely only speaks to a few of you. As tough as it gets sometimes and as close as you get to breaking, if you’ve received Him and if you’ll stay with Him, He might not take away the hurt, but He’ll keep you from going crazy. Trust Him. Keep going. He’ll get you where you need to be, even if it isn’t where you want to go.
Love Kevin